Stranger's Words
by Elaine989
Summary: A few words from a stranger can change your life
1. Chapter 1

This was co-written with a great writer I once knew. So half the credit goes to him

* * *

Rain spilled from the clouds like tears from a hurt child. The large drops quickly turning the ground to mud. Kiri ran through the streets, her feet sloshing in the puddles that already covered the main street. She ignored the wet that seeped in through her worn boots. She darted her way among the throngs of people hurrying to get out of the downpour.

A yell speed her on.

"Stop! Thief".

She clutched her small bundle to her chest as she swerved into an alleyway. A dark figure watched her from a doorway, thin tendrils of smoke rising from his long stemmed pipe. Quickly she yanked the hood of her cloak over her head, hiding her face in shadow. She held her breath as the city Watch ran past her hiding place, brandishing cudgels and bellowing angry threats to people who didn't move fast enough out of their way. Kiri breathed easier. She was safe for now.

She melted back into the shadows of the alleyway, rain streaming down her hood onto her pale, oval face. A stray strand of dark red hair was plastered to her cheek; she brushed it away as she headed for her home, a small room over a rough bar. A bar the likes of thugs and whores frequented. She had never turned to whoring to scrape out an existing for herself. She prayed she would never have to but one did what one must to survive. She fingered the coin purse she had stolen from the Out-lander merchant. He had been easy pickings. Unused to the ways of Dol Mare, he had not hidden his pouch away. Kiri had only been seen because someone had bumped into the fool merchant. Her blade had already cut through his purse strings and she had fled. It wouldn't be pleasant if the Watch were to find her. She had taken many purses over the years and never been caught. She was not about to start now.

It had stopped raining by the time she reached "The Maiden's Head". Raucous laughter and the stench of soiled sawdust filled the dim narrow street. Kiri grimaced as she made her way up a rotting ladder that lead to the bars loft, and her home. Digging in her tunic for the key to her room she opened the door and hurriedly locked it behind her. Sighing she tossed her prize onto a bed of straw and hung her cloak upon a peg. Stretching she pulled off her other clothes and dropped them to the floor, revealing a too thin body. Her hair hung limp around her shoulders as she set a small fire going in the meagre fireplace. Watching the flames dance and curl she failed to hear the heavy footsteps approach her door. She stood up and twisted around as the look clicked and the door swung open. A tall, muscular man strode into her room and closed the door behind him. Kiri glared at him. "What right have…."

"Melkirianna Damedred?" he asked, his accents were cultured, a learned man. She glimpsed a pipe in his pocket. It was the hooded man who had watched her from the street. Kiri watched him, wary. "No one has called me that in years" she replied coldly. She watched him look her up and down. She was unashamed of her nakedness. The stranger would find himself with a dagger in his back if he made a move toward her. She couldn't help but notice the small ring of gold in his ear. The firelight bounced of its shiny surface. "I am in need of your skills Mistress Damedred".

"What skills would those be?" Kiri demanded. She nearly missed the man's hand movement as he launched a dagger at her. Without thinking her hand flew out, caught the hilt in mid air and flung it back towards the man. It hit below his ear and lodged itself in the wooden wall. The man blinked but his face was motionless.

"I believe those would be the skills. I am a sorcerer and adventurer. I am in need of a rogue".

Kiri watched the strange man.

"And you are?"

"Forgive my rudeness. I am Aydan Fannian. I would appreciate it if you would accompany me to a...more suitable inn."

Kiri raised an eyebrow. _A man used to better things_ she thought. Maybe _I should play along with him._

"Which inn?"

Aydan smiled. "The Traveller's Rest. Do you know it?"

Kiri nodded. _Definitely used to the better things in life_. The Traveller's Rest was the most expensive inn in the city. Even if this Aydan decided the place Kiri would decide the time.

"Tomorrow morning at third rise I will meet you there" she answered.

"I will be waiting Mistress Damedred" he said turning to leave. And with that he was gone, leaving Kiri to ponder the handsome stranger and just what he wanted her for.

* ***********

Kiri awoke early the next morning and dressed carefully. She combed out her hair and hid as many daggers as she could about her body. She was wary of Aydan and wanted to be prepared in case it was a trap. Pocketing some of her stolen coin she made her way down to the street.

People filled the noisy streets, crying their wares as the best in town. Kiri bought a warm, crusty bread roll from a bakers cart and ate it quickly. She wandered the streets until a bell sounded Third Rise. It was time to meet Aydan. She bushed the crumbs from her ragged coat and walked slowly to the inn.

The patrons of The Traveller's Rest inn where of a much higher standing in life than Kiri. She could feel everyone watching her as she strode through the inn's gilded door. As she scanned the room for Aydan a serving man approached her. He was tall with sandy hair and a hooked nose.

"Excuse me miss but we do not cater for your type here. I suggest you look elsewhere for a room you good for nothing little wretch. Get out of..." He stopped mid-sentence at a tap on his shoulder.

"Lord Fannian!" he gulped, "how may I.."

"This good for nothing little wretch is with me Gleb. I would thank you to treat her with respect." Aydan said coolly. "This way Mistress Damedred, if you please" he said, gesturing to a private room with his arm.

"A full breakfast Mr. Gleb as well" he shouted over his shoulder as he followed Kiri to the room. He led her into the private meeting room he had acquired. He knew that the last of Fannin wealth would be spent when he returned south to Denador. So he had decided to splash out. He would return to his shadowed forest homeland with little but a name, like many base adventurers had before him. Aydan was neither the most powerful, nor the last, but his name was something none else had had, and none would have again, for good or ill depending on his success at his… goal.

He clenched his fist briefly. Then casually flipped closed the open book, a thick aged tome. _The Pact-Stones of Denador. _It lay atop a family tree of House Fannin and a thin light brown journal. The journal of the last noble of Tyr de Clamh. The last Fannin, the by-proxy Patriarch of the Clan of Stag and Shield. Aydan Oron Fannin.

He smiled at her with the side of his face. He was a handsome man, in a cold hard fashion. Skin clear and whole, hair dark, shoulder length and combed. His teeth were white, brushed regularly. He turned his forceful grey eyes on her, hard and steely as they were. To the more keenly aware, his eyes belied his every charming smile and gesture. They seemed to blink less often than was human. He had a faint off-humanness about him. He was definitely a sorcerer, subtly alien in his case. He was a man of strength, of conviction and presence, though not perhaps of arm.

"Do sit, Ms. Damordred. Your reputation in secret shadowed places marks you as just what I need. You've noticed a lot since you stepped into this room, I watched your eyes. Your mind is as sharp as your vaunted talents and knifes. I won't insult your intelligence. How would you like to have a purpose in life?"

Kiri watched the sorcerer silently, her head cocked to one side. He wanted her to do something for him, something important.

"What kind of purpose?" she questioned.

Aydan studied her before he answered. He had the vague impression that he was being watched by an animal. A wolf he decided.

"I need a bodyguard, a spy and a dungeon rogue. You posses the keen eyes and wits that I need." His grey eyes meet hers, full of challenge. Yet Kiri sensed a slight hesitation, as if there was something else he wanted to say.

She stood and looked at the books upon the table. Glancing at Aydan she unfolded the large parchment that was House Fannin's family tree. It went back many generations. She noted all the names had were underlined in red ink, signifying death. There was only one name not underlined. Aydans'.

"You are the last?"

Aydan nodded his eyes cold and hiding his emotions.

"Then it seems we are both alone" she said softly.

"I accept your offer Lord Fannin. I will be your shadow."

Aydan smiled grimly at her. "I am glad Mistress Damedred. Very glad. Come we leave immediately for Tir de Clamh."

************

The wharfs and docks of Dol Mare were not quite what they used to be, fish rotted in tide's leftovers, deep soggy mud, trawled by the poor and destitute. Aydan was aware he had reached Kiri before she had fallen to this or whoring, he was glad, a damaged vessel at the end of his search would be disappointing to say the least, also he admired her strength of character, her competence. Dol Mare reared it's rickety wooden carapace behind them, like some strange giant beetle made of wrecked ships and industrious people, no worries of magic or war, just making end's meat. It's harsh practicality was almost soothing. After what had happened to his home, even living human sins and petty evils seemed like the loveable mischief of a child.

Everything did after Tyr de Clamh. They would not enter Death's Domain, not for a long time, not until the could scatter demons and break the undead.

Dol Mare was a big town, not the sprawling city Tyr de Clamh had been, but a busy industrious, less trade with the south now, only high elf's and shadows remained on those sea's, but nations fell here or there, someday perhaps the North to would be riven and sundered, but for now its gateway, Dol Mare hummed with live and thronged with work to be had and done.

Aydan's boots made dull thumps on the planks as he strode towards the ship, just taller than average, but with his heel's sounding thunder and his longcoat whipping about his imperious form, he seemed a giant to the barefoot sailor's who scuttled along the decks of the multitudinous fishing skiffs, and those few ships who still brave the journey south. It was to one of these caravel's that the stone-eyed man of the south strode.

And behind him came another figure, She too wore boots, though she made little sound, the soft leather of her soles muffled by her catlike walk, she stalked after him, a native of these places, with her fair skin and eyes, a woman in leather's and new red pants, crimson boots slinking along the salty, crusting timbers that led out to the good ship, Ri-Óg Demare.

************

Kiri sniffed at the tangy, salt air of the sea. The stench of rotting flesh mingled with the sea air. She could tell it wasn't just decaying fish. She strode along behind Aydan, her eyes continuously scanning the crowds around her. This many people made her uneasy, and harder to do her job of protecting the sorcerer.

She paused for a second as Aydan made his way up the gang plank of the ship, glancing at the heaving water below the wooden timbers.

Aydan could see Kiri out of the corner of his eye. He had noticed her split second pause. When they reached the deck he turned to face her, his grey eyes amused.

"Have you been on a ship before Kiri?" he asked.

She meet his gaze with steady eyes. "I don't like ships." Aydan was puzzled. He would have to question her about this. He had believed his research of her to be quite complete. It appeared he had missed something. He glanced the other people boarding the ship. All appeared to be from different lands. He noticed a tall far haired young woman among the crowed. She was human, As were the rest.

Aydan motioned Kiri to the quarters he had booked on the vessel. This would be a long trip. He had made sure the rooms were comfortable. Inside the room was a large bed built into the wall. A sturdy desk faced a small, round window. Their belongings had been stowed away in a corner of the room in large chests.

He had spent a large amount of his remaining gold on equipping Kiri before the journey. Good food, weapons and clothes had cost him. He believed it was a small price for the woman's skills though.

Kiri made her search of the room and deemed it safe from traps.

"There's only one bed" she stated looking at Aydan.

He nodded. "You take it. I have arranged for a hammock to be brought."

Just as the sun was setting a gruff sailor arrived with the hammock and a tray of food. Aydan thanked the man with a few coppers. As soon as the door creaked shut he magically lit a few candles, casting a dim light in the room. Kiri was on the bed, picking at the dried meat on the tray. He sat in the only chair in the room.

"Would you care to tell me of your dislike of boats?"

"When I was younger I stowed away on a boat. I was found and…punished. That night there was a terrible storm and the boat hit rocks. It sank. I was the only survivor. I clung to a splintered barrel and swam towards land with the help of the current.

That is how I came to Dol Mare."

This was news to Aydan. He would have to have a word with his sources. None of the information in his diary mentioned what she had told him.

Kiri looked at him and Aydan was taken aback. Her green eyes were glowing softly in the dim light.

************************************************************************

Aydan's yell woke Kiri. Within seconds she was wide awake and grabbing for her bag of daggers. She saw Aydan's form backed up against the door and heard the mindless jabbering of the Kobalds he was facing. He was a least twice their size but he wasn't used to combat. She crept quietly behind him and unleashed her daggers.

Aydan had managed to injure one Kobald but three more were closing in on him. There was no room or time for him to prepare a spell. He swallowed hard. He couldn't die yet. Suddenly a dagger whizzed past his ear and hit the nearest Kobald in its left eye. It fell dead to the floor.

"Aydan down!"

He crouched just in time as he saw Kiri leap over him, daggers in hand. She made an impossible twist in mid-air and landed on top of a pair of Kobalds, her knives slashing as she hit the ground. Kobalds fell around her but she didn't escape unharmed. A pirate sliced at her thigh and another at her mid-riff. Both Kobalds crowed in triumph but it was short lived. The remaining Kobalds turned and ran. Kiri disappeared after them. Aydan heard her growl as she went after the remaining pirates.

Aydan made his way to the Captain of the ship. He found out the Kobalds had been nothing but brigands searching for easy loot. They were common in these waters. Three crew members and four passengers had died in the attack. The Captain thanked Aydan for his help, the crew men nodding their approval. Kiri padded up silently beside Aydan. He looked at her questioningly. She nodded, her eyes glowing softly.

"Captain, I think you will find all the pirates dead. Do what you wish with the ship." Now that Kiri was beside him he was suddenly very aware of how little she was wearing and that she was in a room full of men, some of who were begging to leer greedily at her. "Call me when we are in port Captain." He turned on his heel and strode back to the room, Kiri following behind him.

Aydan locked the cabin door behind them. Kiri ripped up a sheet and was tending to her wounds, tossing him a bandage for the cuts he had received. There were small scars over most of her body though a large one crossed her lower back just above the line of her shorts. Her body also seemed to be patterned with the very faint outlines of stripes. So faint they were nearly unnoticeable. He blinked at this. He found Kiri oddly fascinating. Something she seemed to have noticed as she turned and winked at him before hopping in to her bunk, curling up and falling asleep as if nothing had happened at all.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: This story will be completed by a single author and from this chapter on is no longer being co-written.

* * *

Weeks passed on the boat. Time seemed to have lost its sense of meaning to Kiri. She wasn't bored per say, just restless. There wasn't much room to move about on the boat.

A ghost of a smile touched Aydan's lips as he sat watching her polish her knives. He was absent-mindedly sketching in his diary. Glancing down he saw his hand had drawn a likeness of Kiri. Blinking slowly he closed the diary.

_She's more on my mind then I thought_

She reminded him of a creature he had seen in his Uncle's menagerie as a boy. A tiger he recalled. There was something decidedly feline about the way she moved.

Good food had wrought changes to her. Her dark reddish hair had taken on a fine sheen and her once thin frame had been replaced by definite curves. There was something exotic about her high cheekbones and slightly tilted eyes. In short she was

…_beautiful….. Where did that thought come from?_

He would never voice his thoughts to her. He tried to stop himself caring for her but he seemed to be slowly loosing that battle.

His mind flashed back to ten years previous and a happy smiling family followed by an image of a burning manor, screams and blood. Bad things happened to the people he cared about. It was easier if he cared for no one. He shook his head, clearing away the memories.

"Copper for your thoughts Aydan?"

His hard grey eyes locked with hers. He appeared as if was trying to see her soul.

_Maybe he can. He is a sorcerer after all_ Kiri mused still holding his gaze.

Their staring contest was interrupted by a knock at the cabin's door. Aydan raised his palm to it and it magically swung open revealing the ship's Captain.

He preformed a sketchy bow.

"We have reached port m'lord. In a short while you will be on dry land again."

Aydan nodded and thanked the man.

"Well Mistress Damodred it appears we have arrived in Tyr de Clamh."


	3. Chapter 3

Walking of the ships gangplank Aydan stopped and stared towards the east. Somewhere out there was the dark forest where his former home lay. Now was not the time to return there though. He would have his vengeance but not yet. He was not ready to face what lay there.

"Come Kiri. I have a room acquired already"

Kiri flashed him a smile. "Always so organized Aydan."

"Given ones status and situation it is best to be prepared. And it may be along time before you have a bed to sleep in each night again."

Kiri gaped at him in mock horror "Oh all those years spent sleeping in alleys and on mouldy straw. However will I manage without a bed?"

The sorcerer grimaced. He sometimes forgot they had grown up in very different worlds.

Suddenly Kiri was standing extremely close to him. So close he could smell the subtly scent of soap from her skin. She grabbed the front of his jacket and yanked him forwards.

"Kiri what are you…"

She cut across him, all business and flung a dagger over his shoulder. It landed with a thud in the soft earth. Aydan whirled around and saw a scrawny man pointing a rusty knife at where his back had been.

"Next time I won't miss" growled Kiri as the man scampered off. Bending she retrieved her dagger and cleaned it. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared after it had been whipped of mud.

No words passed between them as they made their way to the inn. Aydan gave the owner the false names they had decided upon and they were led up the wooden staircase to the room they would share. When they were alone again Kiri finally spoke.

"That was probably just a cut purse." She said her arms crossed beneath her chest.

Aydan was silent his long fingers arched together in contemplation. "It may have been. However there are….forces out there who want me dead. That man may have been sent to test how strong I am. We cannot be too careful. Neither of us can afford to be alone from this point on. We need to assemble a party to help us. Any people who are interested will be meeting us tomorrow evening in the private dinning room. I had notices posted before I left to find you."

Kiri nodded. The man really was organized. She sat on the bed and began rummaging through her belongings.

_Why does he keep booking rooms with only one bed? Though this one is more sizeable than the last. Sorcerers are strange._

"Oh and Kiri? Thank you."

"Just doing what you pay me for Fannin" but she grinned all the same.


	4. Chapter 4

The next evening saw the pair seated behind a table in the inn's private dinning room. Kiri was stripping the last bits of flesh from a chicken bone with her teeth when the first party applicant knocked on the door. Wiping his hands on a napkin Aydan stood and opened the door. A tall fair haired woman strode into the room.

"You were on the same ship as myself and my companion" stated Aydan. The blonde woman nodded.

"My name be Arie Bloodaxe of the Cold Mountains. I heard in bar of magicman needing adventurers."

Kiri was impressed by the woman's sheer stature as much as by the heavy bladed axe that hung from her back. She was a good few inches taller than Aydan, and powerfully built. She was clothed in animal furs and dark leathers. If not the smartest tool in the shed she would provide the brute force needed.

Aydan glanced sideways at Kiri and he caught her small nod. He put on a welcoming smile that never reached his eyes. "We would be delighted to have you join our small party Mistress Bloodaxe. Details will be discussed later. If you could please wait in the bar, we will join you later." The barbarian grunted in response and walked out the door.

By the time night had fallen and the inns candles had been light Aydan had acquired a small elven druid with a wolf companion and a large half-orc whose stench preceded him to the party and his payroll. They would suit his needs, for the moment.

He bought a round of beer for his new party members, to show his good faith. That night Aydan discovered two things. Barbarians could drink a lot of ale and tables made good impromptu weapons. Kiri pushed him upstairs when the barbarian picked a fight with a dwarf. That was when the tables started being thrown.

Upstairs in their room the sounds of the bar fight could still be dimly heard. Kiri had consumed enough ale to be nicely warm inside. Aydan had barely touched his and now he was staring out the small window into the dark street. She crept up behind the sorcerer and placed her hand on his arm.

"You're going to have to tell me what all this planning is for Aydan. I can't do my job properly unless you do."

He looked down to where her hand lay on his arm then up into her emerald like eyes.

He sighed heavily, his shoulders sagging slightly.

"I will Kiri. Sit down and I'll tell you all."


	5. Chapter 5

Aydan paced the length of the small room, his boots echoing on the wooden floor. Kiri sat cross legged in the middle of the bed, her eyes locked on the troubled figure.

"House Fannin is…was a large and powerful house. The last noble House left in Tyr de Clamh. My father was Patriarch of the Clan of Stag and Shield and in turn that title would have passed to the family's oldest son. My father and mother were blessed with five children. My brother, three daughters and lastly myself."

"Kane was the oldest and so would have inherited most of the family lands. On the outside he was always the dutiful son, an excellent horseman and marksman. Kind, generous, a perfect gentleman. That was the image he projected to the world but on the inside he was full of chaos and malevolence. His mind brimmed with dark thoughts."

"On some level I think he was jealous of the magical ability I showed. I was the only member of my family in generations to show inborn magical talent. And it irked him greatly that I had something he didn't. So he went to other sources to find power, dark and dangerous sources. Within a year his hunger for power had completely consumed him, heart and soul. When he was twenty-six he disappeared for a week. My mother was fraught with worry, crying for her oldest son to come home. I went to look for him but to no avail."

"I came home one wet rainy night to find the house oddly silent. He air smelled wrong, fetid and foul. I made my way to the great hall where the family should have been sitting down to dinner. They were there, all of them. Every last person who had Fannin blood or was connected to the family were arranged around the table in a grotesque mockery of life. The walls were painted with blood, limbs were torn off and strewn around the room, and some were missing eyes…"

Aydan paused, staring at the floor. The memories were overwhelming. Kiri remained silent, waiting for him to continue his sad tale. He stumbled on.

"At the head of the table sat my brother, surrounded by my immediate family members and the girl I was supposed to marry. Their bodies were the most destroyed. He sat there and laughed his manic laughter. His skin was deathly pale and his eyes glowed red like fire embers. In that moment I knew what he had done. He had become a vampire and taken my family for the fun of it. They meant nothing to him."

"I gathered all the anger and rage that bubbled within my and hurled a fireball at him. He was too fast and dodged it easily. Before I knew it he was looming over me, that manic smile plastered on his face. "Little brother" he whispered in my ear. "You I leave alive. Let what happened here tonight haunt your dreams for the rest of your years….When you grow strong enough come and find me….We shall see who the victor will be then."

And with that he was gone. That was eight years ago. I haven't seen him since that day. That is why I am here with you and the others; I swore vengeance on him then and there. I need to gather power before I can seek him out and destroy him."

Aydan's hands were clenched shut and smouldering. The memories had stirred up his emotions and the power within him needed somewhere to go. Kiri stood up slowly. She studied him for a long moment before going to stand in front of him. He didn't seem to see her. She took his still smouldering hands in her own and clasped them tightly in her own.

"Aydan.." she whispered. His grey eyes registered surprise at finding her so close. He tried to pull his hands away but she didn't let him.

"Aydan I will help you in this. You have my word." She stared him out of it, daring him to refuse her or push her away.

The sorcerer stared down at the rogue. Shocked and warmed by the power of her conviction to help him in his personal battle. A smile briefly pulled at his lips.

"Kiri I…" he could say no more before he was enveloped in a fierce hug from the cat-like rogue. Not quite sure how to react he wrapped his arms around her waist. Silently thanking her for her promise.


	6. Chapter 6

Fitful dreams filled Aydan's mind that night. He was a teenager again being chased by his giant vampire brother. No matter how fast he ran he never gained any ground and his brother kept closing in. The sound of cruel laughter surrounded him as he tried desperately to find a place to hide.

Kiri was woken by muffled yells. Groggily she stumbled over to the bed where Aydan lay twitching in his sleep. She prodded him gently at first and got no response. Jabbing his shoulder with her fingers did no good either. Sighing she called his name and shook him. "Wake up Aydan."

In his dreams the vampire had caught up to him and it slowly reached for his arms.

"Fannin wake up. You're…"

Aydan's eyes flashed open and he grabbed Kiri by the shoulders and flung her over him onto the bed. Before she could react she was pinned down by the sorcerer. His grey eyes were glazed over. She didn't struggle or try to move. One wrong move and she'd be dead in an instant.

"Aydan it's Kiri" she whispered "You're safe. It was just a dream"

His grip relaxed as his eyes came back into focus.

"Kiri?" His chest was heaving and he could hear his heart pounding. He gave a start when he realised he was half lying on the rogue. Half lying and only in his small clothes on top of the rogue who wasn't wearing very much either. Her musky scent filled his nostrils. It was intoxicating.

_She's so….I could just….Stop. Remove yourself. Now!_

His mind forced his body off of Kiri. He sank back down beside her in the bed, reluctantly.

Kiri sat up and pulled a blanket around herself. There had been a moment where something had flashed across Aydan's eyes, where he had kept her pinned a moment to long.

_Was that desire I saw?_

Kiri was far from innocent. She knew men liked to have a little rough and tumble, generally heavy on the rough, but Aydan was a noble.

_What would a man of his standing want with me?_

She made to get up from the bed and go back to her chair when Aydan grabbed her wrist. "Stay" he simply said and it wasn't a question. Kiri nodded and sat back down, unsure of what was going to happen next. She found Aydan darkly handsome and his body was impressive but still she was unsure of him.

He lay down with his hands behind his head and shut his eyes. Kiri curled up in her usual sleeping position and let her eyes fall shut. Soon she was making soft sleeping noises that amused her employer. He rolled onto his side to watch her, one hand supporting his head. Very gently he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. _By the gods I want her…_

He realised it was probably more torment to have her so near to him but the sound of her breath was comforting to him. He slowly slipped back into sleep but this time his dreams were full of his half-breed rogue.


	7. Chapter 7

Aydan rose quietly from his bed and moved silently out of the room. He wasn't quite enough for the rogue's ears to miss. She counted to twenty before she hopped out of bed and followed after Aydan. He had disappeared the last few nights in a row and Kiri was very curious as to where he was disappearing to. So tonight she would follow him. Secrets were bad in a partnership like there's. What she didn't know could get them both killed.

Aydan was easy to follow, his footsteps echoed down the cobble lock. At least she had convinced him to stop wearing that smelly perfume that was all the rage with Nobles. She could have followed that stink from a mile away. She trailed him to a dark alley; he glanced around and disappeared into a small side door that creaked closed behind him. Kiri raised an eyebrow.

_My, my Mr. Fannin. What are you up to?_

She sauntered up to the door and inspected it. The hinges were rusty and the lock mechanism was simple enough. She had it oiled and open in a few heartbeats. A stairs led down immediately into a dark cellar. Candle light flickered at the bottom of the stairs and she could hear Aydan moving around and the clink of bottles. Very carefully she moved down the stairs, keeping her breathing steady and even. Halfway down she paused.

She heard Aydan's low voice. It sounded like chanting in a language she didn't recognize. The candle light flickered; there was the sound of bubbling liquid. The small hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end and a low hiss escaped her teeth.

_Magic_ she thought. _Dark magic…_

She made it to the bottom of the stairs and a growl erupted from her throat. Aydan was standing before a large pot. Strange symbols were painted on his bare torso in blood. She could smell the metallic tint to it. He held a blade over the wrist of his left hand. His head whipped around at Kiri's snarling. His eyes were no longer cool grey but the deepest black.

"Kiri. What are you doing here?" his voice had a dangerous edge to it.

"I should ask you the same thing Aydan. Sneaking around at night to perform dark magics? I suspected a woman but then again it you've never really shown much interest in that area." She yelled as she walked towards him.

He blinked slowly at her and continued to draw the blade to his wrist.

"You shouldn't be here." He said slowly, his eyes back on his potion. "It is too dangerous."

"What are you trying to do Aydan? It smells wrong."

"It is the only way. I need more power." He drew the blade swiftly across his wrist. Droplets of his blood fell into the potion. It bubbled up and became a dark ruby colour.

"This potion will make me immortal. After my body dies I will rise again with all the power I need to defeat my brother."

Kiri's mind raced. _Potion. Dead. Rise again Potion. Dead. Rise again._ _Potion…_

"Lich!" she hissed. She grabbed his arm, yanking it away from the bubbling pot. He shook her off.

"Leave now Kiri. I will return in a few days." Aydan's voice was flat and cold.

She growled and threw a punch at his kidneys. He grunted but didn't even turn to face her.

"Look at me Fannin!" she yelled, hitting him again.

Sighing he turned fully and looked down at her. He grabbed her fist in his larger hand and held it. Her eyes were burning emeralds in the dark. He had never seen her this angry before. She was angry enough to show her demon heritage.

"I will not let you do this Aydan. There is another way. We will defeat your brother together."

Aydan quirked his head to one side. She was so sure of herself, and of him it seemed.

"If you will not leave willingly I will make you."

With that he back-handed her to the floor. She picked herself up and whipped the blood from her mouth.

"That all you got Fannin?" she laughed

_She is beautiful when she's angry._

He blinked again. Her nearness and raw emotion were distracting him from his purpose. Filled with magic he was more susceptible to his base emotions and needs. He could hear the beating of her heart and the raggedness of her breath. He walked towards her and she raised her fists. A smile pulled at his lips.

_Always the fighter_.

Lightning quick he grabbed her wrists and shoved her against the stone wall. She growled at him.

"Going to use my blood for your little potion?" she quipped as she pulled her legs up and placed her feet squarely on his chest. He still held the blade but he let it clatter to the ground. He leaned into her and his finger trailed across her cheek, wiping away the blood from the corner of her mouth.

"Little Kiri…" he mumbled. "Disobeying my orders"

She snapped at his finger with her sharp little teeth. Her lips were pulled back in a feral snarl.

"The job was to keep you _alive_ Aydan. Even from yourself. If you drink that potion you will be no better than the vampire."

Aydan bowed his head for a moment then locked eyes with her.

"What other choice do I have?" he was the one snarling now. "I am not strong enough to do this own my own."

"You never where on your own" she spat.

He was nose to nose with her now, his breath thick against her cheek.

"If you come with me it may mean death for us both" he whispered hoarsely.

"You think I don't know that? Since you told me what happened I've been prepared for it. I am coming with you Aydan. To the death. You cannot stop me."

She stared at him until he looked away. He was awed by her determination. Magic still pulsed through his body and his heart raced. Without thinking he pressed his lips to hers. He felt her stiffen for a fraction of a second then her body relaxed. Her legs dropped from his chest and ended up wrapped around his waist. She kissed him back. Her lips were soft and supple against his. Kiri felt Aydan's hands slide down her arms. They felt like they were on fire. He was losing control of his powers, like the night he had told her his story. She pulled away from him reluctantly.

"Sorry Aydan" she whispered when he looked at her, puzzled. With that she slammed her forehead against his. He crumpled to the ground in a heap, pulling her with him. She detangled herself and walked over to the potion. It smelled foul. Thankfully there was a drain in the centre of the room. She tipped over the pot and watched as the potion spiralled down into the drain.

_Crazy sorcerer._

Nodding to herself she glanced back to Aydan. He was still out cold. Grabbing his cloak she threw it over him and pulled his body to a standing position, supporting his weight. She dragged him up the stairs and back to the small rented room.


End file.
